Neil Gaiman’s modern classic American Gods has finally found a new home at Starz, as Hannibal‘s Bryan Fuller and Heroes‘ Michael Green have signed on as showrunners.

They will also executive produce alongside Gaiman, according to THR. The story of Shadow, a recently released ex-con who takes on bodyguard work for the mysterious Mr Wednesday, who is revealed to be one of the older gods trapped in a war with the new deities, American Gods was previously being set up at HBO with Tom Hanks producing, but the network eventually passed on the project. Fremantle Media remains involved with the project.

“When you create something like American Gods, which attracts fans and obsessives and people who tattoo quotes from it on themselves or each other, and who all, tattooed or not, just care about it deeply, it’s really important to pick your team carefully. You don’t want to let the fans down, or the people who care and have been casting it online since the dawn of recorded history,” Gaiman said.

“What I love most about the team whom I trust to take it out to the world is that they are the same kind of fanatics that American Godshas attracted since the start. I haven’t actually checked Bryan Fuller or Michael Green for quote tattoos, but I would not be surprised if they have them. The people at Fremantle are the kinds of people who have copies of American Godsin the bottom of their backpacks after going around the world, and who press them on their friends. And the team at Starz has been quite certain that they wanted to give Shadow, Wednesday and Laura a home since they first heard that the book was out there. I can’t wait to see what they do to bring the story to the widest possible audience able to cope with it.”

A fan on Twitter wondered how Fuller would be able to continue to work on Hannibal Season Three while developing American Gods, but the showrunner reassured him.

This is a hugely exciting development for fans of the novel. Having seen what Fuller can do with a beloved text with Hannibal, we can’t wait for his Gaiman-approved take on American Gods.